The Heart's Desire
by Infinite Snow
Summary: Zuko thought all this time the only way to be loved is if he captures The Avatar. When he kidnaps a certain waterbender, he realizes what his heart has been yearning for all this time. [Zutara]


A/N: I recently have been obsessed with Avatar: The Last Airbender. I watched it years ago, all three seasons of them and was surprised Zutara fanfics were popping up no matter how much I scrolled for a Taang pairing fanfic.

I recently thought that no, Katara would be with Aang and Zuko has a girlfriend who is Mai. But I never liked her (Mai), as she was always sounding like a spoiled brat and was silently malicious with her hidden blades. I understood why people would rather Katara end up with Zuko, and I want to show how much I came to fall in love with the beauty of Zutara.

Warning: No plot. I just happened to have Zuko kidnap Katara when she was vulnerable so he could find Aang. It is one of those kidnappings to gain information out, except, he will realize, the avatar isn't what he wanted this whole chase…

-x-

Katara struggled against the chains that had bounded her extremities to the wall. The room was small, and the strong rusty iron of the ship wafted into her nose.

She wanted to use bloodbending so bad, but he now knew how dangerous she really is. A side she would rather die than let Aang see. Deep down, her newfound talent made her feel despicable. Rotten, lowlife and dirty.

_A monster._

The door opened to reveal the one person she sworn to be her lifelong enemy. Zuko. And apparently, he was too caught up with his old tactics to make her obey.

"Hello, Katara. Been a while since we have met," Zuko said curtly.

"Maybe I was hiding from you," Katara snarled.

"With that Avatar, nonetheless," Zuko smirked, holding high above the young waterbender's head, her only trinket of her home, her only connection to her mother: the wedding necklace.

"I knew you would take it off from my neck when I was knocked out," Katara sighed in agony.

"Too bad you didn't have that little imbecile with you. Then I wouldn't have taken it away from you," Zuko tsk'ed, carefully slipping the necklace in his pocket, careful not to break it.

"Better me captured than him," Katara murmured, ceasing all struggle against the thick chains.

"Excuse me?" Zuko glared at Katara.

"If I get kidnapped, if I get tortured, if I never return, if I get killed… so be it," Katara whispered, "That is a little price to pay for his safety. I have taught him everything I could of waterbending. If I were to never return, he can still go on and bring hope to millions. I don't have to see it to feel happy. I know he will be able to move on, rather than to look for me."

"Heh," Zuko scoffed, refusing to believe her, "He would still try to look for you."

"No, no he won't," Katara whispered.

"How would you know?" Zuko asked.

"I asked him, shall I be abducted, for him to not look back," Katara looked Zuko in the eyes, "You can try to torture me, you can try to brainwash me, you will not find him and his whereabouts from me."

Zuko growled. He knew she had some value. She just wouldn't give in, not anytime soon.

But little did we know he captured her not just for the Avatar…

-x-

Katara had been just strolling innocently throughout the markets, never buying anything. She just touched fruits, admired their ripeness, and placed them back.

She had a knack of infuriating some of the fruit venders. Touching and admiring things she couldn't buy! Not that it was illegal or something, but it was irritating!

She would touch but never pay. It irritated them to know that while she was broke, she pawed through their stuff like they were rentals or something. What is wrong with admiring them by afar?

Prince Zuko had come into the town, and while the townspeople never liked the Fire Nation, they could possibly get the girl out of their food stalls, not that she was a huge threat.

He had gone around, asking several times where the Avatar was. While people didn't want to disclose where the Avatar was, because he was their symbol of a better world, one fruit vendor disclosed where Aang's best friend was, just strolling through the market.

Zuko, thinking that this was a perfect way to get some kind of information out of her, and possibly lure in the Avatar, had snuck up behind her, pressed a cloth with something soaked in the center, to her mouth and watched as the struggling waterbender fall limp in his arms.

-x-

But he had never expected Katara to remain mostly calm when she had been dawned with the realization that she had been kidnapped.

She had known somehow, he would go after her or Sokka, in hopes of luring Aang in. She had told Aang to not follow them if they get captured.

Katara was right in some way, she had served her purpose. Though the student will never equal to the skill and strength of the teacher, she had done her part by teaching everything she knew about waterbending.

Zuko thought, that even though Katara told Aang not to follow her should she be captured, wouldn't he do so anyways? He knew Aang would never leave Katara to fend for herself, no matter how much the waterbender tried to reason with him.

"It doesn't make sense," Zuko murmured, remembering how Katara's eyes had sparkled so beautifully and brilliantly.

He had never seen such a loyal friendship before his eyes. He never had such a loyal friend in his life. The strength of Katara and Aang's friendship is so strong it blinds him with its bright light.

"What doesn't make sense?" Iroh asked, tipping a teapot delicately, filling Zuko's teacup with tea.

"How can she sacrifice herself in order for the pesky Avatar to just move on?" Zuko asked disbelievingly.

"Love," Iroh had answered.

Zuko's body, for some reason had stiffened. His hands had clenched. His inner fire burned at a dangerous level within him. Some green monster was eating away at his rational part of his brain. Jealousy.

Iroh, honestly, thought Zuko would just accept the word and move on. Zuko was never affected by women at all because they were so disgusting in their pursuit of his looks and wealth.

His heart never wavered when his supposed girlfriend Mai cheated on him with another nobleman. Because when they had begun dating, they both knew they didn't love each other. It was just to look like a good pair in the public, to raise his reputation. Now while he didn't have a streak for cheating on others, he felt disgusted when he saw Mai with her lover. It was then he had realized he had to break up with her, and women would all be the same in the Fire Nation. He would never find a woman who was loyal to her loved ones.

Until he had met Katara, and had observed her interaction with Aang and Sokka.

"Love?" Zuko repeated.

"Yes," Iroh affirmed, "She knows that in this whole war, her value is of, little significance. She shouldn't place her life in danger. However she does. She cares about her tribe, her family, and even the Avatar. She will sacrifice her life if only it could make the world a better place. Love fills her heart for others dear to her."

So it was that kind of love. Zuko had pinched his nose, and stood up from the table when he had the 'urge' to see where the boat was.

When he had looked at the map and found out that his ship was not too far from the port he kidnapped Katara away from, he sighed. It was too much to hope that he was in the middle of the ocean.

Suddenly, he was curious what the girl was doing. He wondered if she was hungry, thirsty, or perhaps would love a nice bath and a change of clothes.

He called an attendant, and ordered, "Prepare a cool drink of water, a warm meal and a change of clothes for the waterbender girl."

"Is that all?" The attendant asked. Zuko nodded.

-x-

A guard had unlocked the room. He stepped aside for another unfamiliar looking person to set a steaming meal down, a pitcher of cold water, and a pile of silk robes.

Knobs were turned and steaming water filled the bath that was in the room next to the cell she was held captive in.

The sounds of metal unlocking filled the room as the heavy chains that confined her arms and legs fell to the ground.

"The prince had ordered a meal, a drink, and a warm bath for you. As long as you pull no funny business or attempts to escape I am forced to give you full privacy while you eat and bathe," the attendant said curtly.

Katara nodded slowly, but as the attendant turned around to leave, she asked, "I don't know where the bath is."

"Next door. When you are done, you can walk over there with your change of clothes. Guards will guard the outside of the bath to make sure you don't make a run for it," the attendant answered.

"Tell the prince… thank you," Katara simply said, shocking the attendant, but nonetheless nodded.

When the door had closed, the waterbender set her eyes upon the cuisine laid in front of her.

-x-

Thirty minutes later, after she had eaten, drunken water, and bathed into the black robes, she felt much better. Katara had folded her water tribe clothes into neat squares, placing her thick boots and water skin underneath it.

There was a knock to the door, and Katara could only assume that it was either the attendant to chain her up again or a guard to tell her more orders, she was very much surprised when she saw it was the Fire Nation prince.

"Oh… hi?" Katara's greeting came out as a question.

"What? Did you not want me to come?" Zuko asked.

"No, no that's not it," Katara shook her head in all honesty, "I thought it was the attendant or a guard. I haven't seen you since you captured me. That's all."

"I see," Zuko nodded and a silence fell.

"Was there something you needed?" Katara asked.

"What does this mean to you?" Zuko took the necklace out of his pocket and handed it back to Katara.

"In the water tribe, a man carves this necklace for his betrothed as a sign of engagement," Katara whispered, tracing the pendant with her fingers.

"But why would you wear it then? You're not engaged, are you?" Zuko asked.

"No, no I am not. But it is my mother's. Mom gave it to me the last time I saw her. When she did, I knew, I would never see my mom ever again," Katara said, "She told me to always wear it and she would be with me."

Zuko's golden eyes, once so sharp, accusing, angry, criticizing, loathing, had softened. He didn't care if she was a waterbender and he was a firebender. He didn't care if she was part of a small tribe, and he is a prince.

They could both agree, no matter how many differences they had, that the pain of losing a mother was beyond painful. The one person that understood you, the one person that raised you with bare hands, the one that fed you, the one that stood by all your troubles.

Fathers were important, but mothers were special. They gave birth to their child so they would understand their child much more than just another woman.

"Gran Gran would always tease me, you know," Katara blushed, "When I get engaged, she is going to boss my fiancé around on how to make a traditional Water Tribe engagement necklace, and she was going to make it all extravagant and everything."

Zuko chuckled and admitted, "I think you look beautiful, whether you have the necklace on or not."

Katara froze as she looked at Zuko, wide-eyed. Zuko looked back with confusion, when he realized he had complimented her, maybe even… _flirted._

Zuko's face became bright red as a cherry as he stuttered, "D-Don't take it t-to your h-head! I-I thought y-you were sad s-so I t-tried to cheer y-you up!"

With that, the fire prince dashed out of the cell, not forgetting to lock it after him.

-x-

They would talk on and off. Nothing serious, pointless discussions. Katara had shown all the things she could do with her waterbending, and Zuko would demonstrate in return.

"Hey Zuko?" Katara asked one day.

"Hmm?" Zuko reciprocated.

"Would you ever like to heal that scar of yours?" Katara asked.

"I have always wanted to. I have searched high and low for cures and medicines for such a treatment," Zuko confessed.

"In the fire nation?" Katara asked.

"Yes, why are you asking me this?" Zuko was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"And you have never asked a waterbender?" Katara asked in disbelief.

"I have always wanted to, but they have a right to be mad at me. Ozai's son, who would want to do a favor for a royal?" Zuko asked and he had a point.

"I think I have a cure that can make it go away, forever," Katara whispered.

"Y-You do?"

"I do."

"How?"

"When Aang first wanted to learn firebending, he had to stand on a mountain and meditate. He had gotten so tired of praying and practicing his patience with firebending so he begged to immediately jump into learning the basics. He was told to hold a leaf and have the sun burn a hole in it, which he accomplished, and had a small flame in his hands. By the time he had gone down the mountain to demonstrate to his teacher, he was waving around his little flame in circles. I had tried to stop him but the flame had burned my palms, burning away all the skin," Katara reencountered.

Zuko winced at the pain of all the layers of the skin being burnt.

"What happened?"

"I cried. I cried and ran to the nearest lake. First impulse was to thrust my hands in it, which felt like a stupid idea when it stung bad, but my hands glowed and all the burn marks erased and my skin was brand new, just like that," Katara finished.

"It was healed? Completely?" Zuko asked, incredulously.

"Yes. And it wasn't as bad as the burn mark on the side of your face, however I have used it on other people who had third degree burns much worse than yours. Some had it all their lives," Katara whispered, "I could heal it… if you want."

"Please do."

"Why would you want it gone? Surely I don't think of you less just because half of your face is burned away," Katara assured.

"It is a sign my father gave to condemn me. I want to be strong, not a person who had committed a sin," Zuko whispered.

"Why would he ever do this?"

"Because in one of the council meetings, it was proposed to get rid of waterbenders next."

The color in Katara's face drained when Zuko told her this.

"They wanted to get rid of waterbenders after wiping out the airbenders. It is part of the plan to have firebenders rule the earth and I was enraged. I had spoken against it, and in an Agni Kai duel I had to go against my father when I didn't want to. I had thought I would fight with the general who proposed the plan, and I was burnt on the left side and banished. The only way I could redeem my honor was to find and capture the Avatar," Zuko whispered, "In all honesty, I don't want to."

Katara suddenly felt guilty. All the time she had poured her rage at him when he had been punished for defending her kind.

"I will… I will grant you your wish…" Katara whispered, dipping her hand in a pail of drinking water, her hand glowing when water enveloped it.

-x-

It was very painful, so painful, that Zuko cried. He clawed at the floor, he had kicked his feet, and he had wailed.

For five minutes, the prince had turned into a small child, crying heart wrenching sobs that permeated throughout the ship.

"Zuko? What happened… what happened to your face? It is like your burn was never there!" Iroh gleefully touched his nephew's face.

"Katara healed me," Zuko said, "She freed me of my mark."

"But… how?" Iroh asked, in awe, as he had thought that Zuko would live with the damn mark for the rest of his life.

"She told me a skill that a handful of waterbenders acquire by dipping their hands in water and they turn into glowing healing hands," Zuko said, "But she gave me my identity back, and freed me from this cage of father's. I don't think I even want to hunt the avatar anymore."

-x-

Katara was reading a book on Zuko's bed. Big change, no? Turns out, Zuko developed so much trust in her, more than he could ever muster for one of his own family members, and allowed her to share a room with her.

She learned that Zuko loved poetry books. Strangely she did too. She loved haiku's and all the dog eared pages in the book were her favorites.

The door opened to reveal Zuko. Katara placed the book down and gently smiled.

"Hey Zuko. Just reading your poetry book for time's sake. You know, you have such good taste, you could write some yourself," Katara smiled.

"That's not what I came for," Zuko sat on the edge of the bed.

"Then what are you here for?" Katara asked then caught herself, "No I mean, this is your room and you have all the rights, but if your purpose is different,then what is it? And you're so sad. Zuko, did something happen?"

Zuko watched as Katara's eyes became big and sorrowful. Her eyebrow slanted down in a sad manner and her lip frowned, giving off a motherly look. Somehow he saw his own mother, Ursa, and her kind face through Katara. No matter Aang said she was so kind and motherly.

"The ship's stopping at a port controlled by the Fire Nation in the Earth Kingdom," Zuko whispered, "You have two choices."

"And they are?" Katara's face didn't glow with happiness at possible freedom from him.

"You could run away and leave me, or you could stay with me," Zuko whispered, looking at her sapphire eyes.

"Zuko, you're scaring me, what are you trying to tell me?" Katara cupped Zuko's cheek.

"I am telling you I love you. Everything I have loved had been snatched from my hands: my honor, my mother, and my freedom. And here I am a puppet who used to desperately try to win his father's love at any cost…" Zuko whispered, "Even if it costs the Avatar."

Katara gasped and Zuko thought for one horrible second that she was horrified of him, wanted to run, flee, scramble, fly away from him, and leave him as miserable as he was when he lost his mother.

"You know if you don't love me you could tell me and I would understand-" Zuko whispered until a pair of hands wrapped themselves around his neck, yanked him down and planted his lips against another.

He opened his eyes to figure out they were Katara's.

And in contrast: the first kiss wasn't out if this world. The fireworks didn't explode, shock didn't run through their bodies, the world didn't melt away, their lips didn't taste of delicious flavors on the Earth, it wasn't aggressive, not breathtaking, not sweet, and not soft.

Their first kiss was full and comforting.

It gave a sense of belonging to Katara and it filled the lonely piece of Zuko's heart.

The world would have never thought: but they fit together like jigsaw puzzle pieces – like a glove.

-x-

**And there you guys go! You now know I am a big Zutara lover! To anyone who loves Kataang ship, I will say this: cute, but I am not on your boat. Not that I hate Kataang, I just feel Mai's a bitch who can't appreciate a good boyfriend, Katara and Zuko cancel each other out like (you know what) and Aang and Katara are as close as brother and sister!**

**I am so shocked that they did get married and had kids! I went, "That's not the way I wanted the ultimate pairings to be…"**


End file.
